Getting Outside!

It has warmed up and were able to let the pigs outside.  Some got to go to the outside pen.  They had fun exploring the pen. Maggie, our dog, watched from the outside - not sure what to think of them.  Soon they will be finding a mud hole to play in. (When it warms up for real.)

Hannah

Ducklings are here!

Yup the duckies are here.  Because of the cold we had to keep them in the house for a week. Now it warmed up but are still in the pen with the heat lamp.  Because ducks are seasonal for setting eggs, the farmer we got them from didn't have a lot to sell, so we only could get 10 ducklings this year. It was fun to watch them and they have already grown a lot.

Hannah

Done Pig Shopping

Good news - we are done Pig shopping for 2013.  We don't have pigs on the farm all year on our farm but we have a lot of fun with them for the fair.  To be able to show them at the county fair and state fair we have to have all our pigs purchased by May 15 and have all the paper work in.  So the last couple of weeks we have been using our weekends to pig shop.  Andrew has been looking online at a lot of pigs and learning about the different sires.  He talks to several "real" pig farmers to learn.  This was our last sale, as we have enough pigs now, and here we are in the background watching the auctioneer (in black hat) take bids.  This is the one pig we bought at this sale.

Isaac

More pigs...

I wonder what he is thinking?  Could it be that he is looking for supper?  Or is he listening for his brother's squeal?  Or is he wondering what in the world is that thing she keeps putting up to her face?  How about  - so glad I got cleaned up before I hopped on the trailer -this could have been embarrassing.

We went to a Pig sale - And we saw ....

A Little pile of Piggies!

A Medium Pile of Piggies !

A BIG pile of piggies!  Boy do they like to sleep close - I suppose to stay warm.

Set up on the lane

Cousins were here and we walked all the heifers at once.  Haley and Brandon will be coming to the show too. It can be interesting at the first show.  My mom wasn't too happy that I was wearing shorts.  I did wear a had and heavy coat though. It was cold.

Isaac

First cattle show this week.

Yup we have our first cattle show this week. And it is snowing. They have been acting really good - so glad we worked with them last summer and fall.  Andrew even got the blower out and blowed the snow off of them.  Hoping the sun will come out by show day.

Hannah.

Sleds have many uses

Yikes it April and we still have snow!  We have not had school for two days. But we still have some chores to do.  We got some pigs a week ago and they are pretty little so we need to give them plenty of straw to cuddle up in with their buddies to stay warm.  So much easier to use the sleds to move the bales to the other barn.  We also use the sleds to move buckets of water for the cows that calve.  Plus we will have the chance to slide down the hills Dad just made.

Hannah

Look how furry they are!  They have thick hair to help keep them warm, but they have a rumen that is fermenting the hay and corn stalks - and this helps them stay warm too, from the inside.  Its like having a furnace inside.  The rumen is why they can eat hay and we can't - the ruman is just one part of their stomach.  Humans only have one true stomach.

First Calf!

Yup its here, the first calf of 2013.  A little early but a spunky calf - just like her mother.  We will try to get a photo up soon.

Mom

Cold - but doing good.

OK - it looks cold.  Well it is but the cows still find lots to eat on the stubble field - well not right not here but further out they are finding corn to eat.  They don't seem hungry at all.  We have brought some - the ones closest to calving -  to a pen close to the barn they go in every night.  How do we know they are still finding corn?  Guess! ;)

Hannah